Simona Halep makes a stance to defuse Serena Williams at Wimbledon

It was a tactical shift that neutralised the most powerful weapon in women’s tennis and delivered a Wimbledon title.

Romania's Simona Halep reacts after winning a point against Serena Williams. Picture: AFP

It was a masterstroke move by Simona Halep. A critical tactical adjustment that defused the most damaging weapon in women’s tennis and delivered a stunning final victory at Wimbledon.

Halep produced a phenomenal performance, as near to perfection as possible on the biggest stage in the sport, to thrash Serena Williams 6-2 6-2 to become the first Romanian to win the title.

The 27-year-old had previously played Williams 10 times for only one success before a near flawless effort that saw her make only three unforced errors in a decider lasting just 56 minutes.

And the key to Halep’s success was her ability to neutralise the American’s powerful serve.

Now up to a ranking of four, she netted a return on the first point but was able to break Williams immediately and from then on was in command for almost the entirety of a remarkably one-sided final.

Brad Gilbert, a former world No 4 who coached Andre Agassi and penned the cult tennis book Winning Ugly, cited a positional shift as the critical difference for Halep.

The ESPN analyst noted that, similar to Angelique Kerber in her success over Williams in last year’s Wimbledon final, Halep adjusted her position on return.

The 2018 French Open champion usually stands close to the baseline but it was evident to the naked eye that she adopted different positions in the final.

“It was 100 per cent the key and the reason why she won,” Gilbert told The Australian. “If you watch some of the tapes of her losses, she always stood on the baseline. And as I always say on TV, I am shocked that so many don’t move back on Serena’s serve.

“Last year, if you watched the final, Angelique Kerber went way back and it changed the complexion of the match.

“Today, Halep went three steps further back than when I have seen her and she was getting returns in play and I felt that was the massive difference.”

Widely considered to have the best serve ever in women’s tennis, Williams struck a tournament high 47 aces but managed only two in the final.

When she sliced an ace wide to the deuce court at 2-4, 0-30 in the second set, the seven-time champion raised her arms in mock triumph.

But that in itself was an indication that she was baffled beyond belief, with Halep managing to break her four times from the eight games Williams served.

It was not the only aspect of Halep’s game that was impressive. She defended superbly, showed the speed of a gazelle when covering the court and maintained her composure extraordinarily well.

But it all started from the return, according to Gilbert, and that eroded Williams’s belief.

Williams did not serve badly, managing to land 68 per cent of her first serves with only two double-faults, but the weapon was neutralised.

“She played phenomenal, but I think it started with the return of serve, because Serena wasn’t getting a lot of free points, and that changed the complexion of the match,” Gilbert said.

It is an assessment Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone agreed with when dubbing the performance “a strategic work of art”. “Simona Halep was unblemished. She did everything the right way. Her strategy was perfect,” he told The Tennis Channel.

Halep credited her former coach Darren Cahill, who is back living in Adelaide after scaling back his travel commitments, for helping her become a better person. The South Australian was in the coaches box for the triumph.

She acknowledged the backwards move had been a factor. “I went a little bit back, that’s for sure,” Halep said. “I felt like I knew where she was serving. Even if she served strong, I returned the ball.”